Skip bar for punching machines



S. BRAND ET AL SKIP BAR FOR PUNCHING MACHINES Sept. 4, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheei 1 Filed March 21, 1946 Ta-L- Mamsofas @mmm ATTORNEY Sept. 4, 1951 s. BRAND ET AL 2,566,920

SKIP BAR FOR PUNCHING MACHINES Filed March 21, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR5 SAMUf BRAND Meu NINGHAM ATT'ORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1951 SKIP BAR FOR PUNCHING MACHINES Samuel Brand, Binghamton, and James Mason Cunningham, Endicott, N. Y., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 21, 1946, Serial No. 656,045

3 Claims. (Cl. 164-113) This invention concerns punching machines and more particularly record card punching The principal object of the invention is to prov vide an improved carriage escapement mechanism for controlling the advance and escapement of a record card carriage such as the card carriage o f a tabulating card punching or like machine, wherein there is a shiftable carriage requiring a device to control the escapement movement of the carriage across the machine.

A well known form of tabulating card has a series of evenly spaced columns to be provided with data by a punching machine, such as is disclosed in the Brand and Cunningham Patent 2,333,461, granted November 2, 1943. Such machine has a carriage for advancing a card to position the individual card columns opposite the machine punching dies, the card carriage being advanced under control of an escapement device. Heretofore, the escapement device has comprised an escapement rack and a so-called skip bar. The skip bar was carried by the escapement rack, and it so controlled the carriage operation that certain card fields or columns would skip the punching dies and, therefore, would not be punched. This skip bar heretofore has been provided in the form of a solid bar having notches in its lower edge for temporary mounting on headed pins projecting from the escapement rack and the upper edge has been configured to provide depressed portions opposite the escapement teeth of the rack for the card fields to be punched and raised portions opposite the escapement teeth for card elds to be skipped.

For each new or different escapement pattern, a separate skip bar is required and this may involve a considerable number of differently configured skip bars.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a universal skip bar which may be readily adjustable to accommodate any escapement pattern whereby a single bar will serve in place of the plurality heretofore required. In addition, this universal skip bar is arranged for ready removal so that another similar bar with a different adjustment may be quickly substituted therefor. The arrangement has the advantage of requiring only a single skip bar whose escapement pattern may be readily modified in cases where such pattern is utilized for a brief period, and it has the further advantage in that as for the prior skip bars, when an escapement pattern is frequently employed, such pattern may' be retained on a bar and the entire bar placed on the rack when needed.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle oi the invention and the best mode, which 4has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view showing the escapement dogs and rack of a well known card punching machine, with the universal skip bar mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on lines 2--2 of Fig. l showing the relative locations of the punches, card carriage and escapement devices.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the insertible "skip stop pins.

Fig. 5 is a detail showing the escapement mechanism in position to release the rack for skipping.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing the action of a skip stop pin to interrupt the skipping operation.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the punching machine which is of the type shown in Patent 2,333,461 referred to has a stationary framework identied generally at I0, upon which a rack I I is mounted for horizontal reciprocation in suitable supports. Speciiically, rollers I2 carried by the rack ride along a guide rail I3 and are biased toward the right by a gear I4 in mesh with teeth I5 on the under edge of the rack. Gear I4 is connected in the usual manner to a suitable spring drum, not shown.

The rack II has secured thereto a cardl pusher I6 and a card guide I1 between which a card C is placed and supported on a ilat portion of the framework I0. The card C and the rack Il then move together relative to a xed column of punches indicated at I8.

The upper edge of rack II is formed with the usual escapement teeth I9 spaced to correspond to the columnar spacing of the data columns of the card. A handle or finger piece 20 connected to the rack Il enables the operator to manually slide the rack and supported card C to the left as seen in Fig. 1 to prepare the machine for a card punching operation by presenting a selected card column to the row of punches. This leftward movement of the rack and card will, of course, rotate gear I4 to wind up the driving spring, and escapement teeth I9 will click past the usual escapement dog 2l, whichwhen the finger piece 20 is released, will hold' the rack inthe position to ywhich anda bifurcationtherein embraces a pin 24 of a lever 25 on rod 28; Lever 2,5-has-a second pin 21 extending into. an enlarged'openlng 28v in dog 2|. The normally column-by-columnl escapement action which is more fully set forth in the patent referred.A to is, brieiiy, as follows. Whenever a punch or space operation is performed, thereis eected a clockwise rocking of lever 25 on rod 28, withthe result that pin 24 rocks dog 22 counterclockwise into engagement with a tooth I9, and at the same time pin 21 rocks dog 2| clockwise to disengage it from the escapement teeth. 'This allows a very slight movement of the rack as a tooth |9 seats against dog 22.

When dog 2| is rocked as stated, its spring 29 shifts it to the left being permitted to do so by the enlarged pivot opening therein on rod 26. Thus, when lever 25 is rocked back to the position of Fig. 1, dog 2| will engage the next tooth I9 as dog 22 is lifted out of its holding position. Briefly, then, repeated oscillation of lever25, as an incident to repeated punching or spacing operations, will effect a step-by-step advance or escapement of rack Referring to Fig. 2, the punching machine is provided as usual with a so-called T lever 30 pivoted at 3|, which with a link 32 forms a toggle normally biased in the position shown in Fig. 2 by a leaf spring 33. Whenever the well known skip key is operated, lever 30 is rocked counterclockwise by an element 34 so that the toggle snaps to its alternate position to shift the. socalled skip lifter 35 articulated thereto downward as'viewed in Fig. 2. Subsequent operation` of any other punch or space key of the machine will actuate an element 36 to rock the toggle back to its initial position and retract the skip lifter 35.

In accordance with the present invention, there is added to the apparatus just described a lever 31 pivoted at 38 to the fixed framework and biased clockwise as viewed in Fig. 1 by a spring pressed plunger 39. An opening in the lever cooperates with a xed pin 40 to serve as a limit stop for the lever. The left hand end of lever 31 is notched as at 4|, to receive lthe free end of the skip lifter 35 (see Fig. 3). This free end of the skip lifter 35 has the usual incline 42 and passes beneath dog 2| so that, when the skip lifter is shifted to the left, the free end thereof will ride up to the dotted line position shown and raise dog 2| out of rack teeth I9. Fig. shows the relative positions of the parts with the skip lifter 35 in its outer position. In

this position dog 2| is rocked without disturbing the normal position of lever 25 and the spring on plunger 39 has enough force to overcome any tendency to rock lever 31, which remains in its normal position.

With dog 2| thus raised, the rack is freed for movement to the right and skip lifter 35 will remain in its projected. position to continue holding the dog as viewed in Fig. 5. This movement of rack will proceed until lever 314 is rocked counterclockwise to the position of Fig. 6, wherein its left end lowers skip lifter 35 and dog` 2| under the influence of spring 29 to interrupt the rack.

assenso i y'onthe rackv by positioning it urgec'i'detent .49 and a lug 50 on the rack. To

The devices for rocking lever 31 comprise a bar 45 having recesses 46 and 41 at opposite ends and a handle 48. This bar is removably mounted between a spring remove the bar' 45, handle 48 is gripped and the bar shifted to the left to slide detent 49 sidewise. This frees recess 41 from lug 50 and the bar is then tilted counterclockwise and lifted out. To insert, the procedure of removal is reversed.

Along the bar 45 are a plurality of angular slots 52 spaced to correspond, to the spacing of escapement teeth I9. A skip stop pin 5| may be inserted into any one of the slots 52 and U-shaped spring blades 53 serve to retain the pin in inserted position. Pins 5| are inserted in bar 45 in positions in which it is desired to have a skipping action stop or terminate and for this reason they are called skipstop pins.

To illustrate the action, assume that the rack has been released in response to projection of skip lifter 35 and the parts assume the position of Fig. 5, as explained. Now the rst pin 5| to the left of the right end or nose of lever 31 will, when the pin reaches such right end of lever 31, engage and rock it to the position of Fig. 6, wherein dog 2| is lowered into engagement with a tooth I9 and the rack is stopped, with pin 5| continuing to hold the lever 31 in rocked position until the next punching operation advances the rack. As already explained, a subsequent punching operation will retract skip lifter 35, so that during the next punching operation lever 31 will rock back to its position of Fig. 1.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modication, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A carriage escapement device for a record punching machine comprising an escapement rack, a skip bar detachably secured to said rack, a dog normally engaging said rack to hold it against movement, a lever having a camming edge, a skip lifter cooperable with said camming edge to raise and hold the dog out of engagement with the rack to free the rack for a skipping movement, and an element carried bythe skip bar for moving the said lever away from the skip lifter whereby the skip lifter will be released to enable the dog to drop back into vengagement with the rack.)

2. A carriage escapement device for a record punching machine comprising an escapement rack, a dog normallyengaging said rack to hold it against movement, a spring holding the dog in rack-engaging position, a lever adjacent to said dog, .a spring normally holding the lever against movement, a skip lifter having a camming surface operable to cam against the lever and raise the dog out of the rack to free the rack for a skipping movement, an element carried by the rack for rocking the lever against its spring and moving it away from the skip lifter whereby the spring on the dog will cause the dog to reengage the rack. Y

3. A carriage escapement'device comprising an escapement rack, a bar, a'spring latching device for detachably mounting said bar on the rack, said bar having a row of transverse open-sided 5 6 slots therein, a. skip-stop pin having a. cam head UNITED STATES PATENTS and a shouldered shank insertible in'any of said Number Name Date slots. and a leaf spring ensaseable with the 1,954,232 weimich Apr, 10, 1934 shoulderedY notch through said open side of the 3 013,543 Page sept 3 1935 seat to yieldably hold the pin within the slot. i 21064.34() Davis-: Dec. 15: 1936 SAMUEL BRAND- G 2,191,134 Wannen Feb. 1. 193s L MASON CUNNIN HAM 2,365,199 Grady Dec. 19, 1944 REFEnENcEs CITI-:n FOREIGN PATENTS The following references are of record in the l0 Number Country Daw me 0f his Patent: 294,527 Great Bumm Dec. zo, 192s 

